Adobe has released version 4.0 of its Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Elements 4. It’s available for download now, along with Adobe DNG Converter.
Camera Raw 4.0 makes it possible to directly import “raw” digital files from more than 150 different digital camera models. There’s no uniformity to digital camera raw file formats, so the plug-in makes it possible for Photoshop to import all those camera-specific formats.
New to this release is support for Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FZ8 model — a compact camera with a Single Lens Reflex (SLR)-style design, equipped with 12x optical zoom, 7.2 megapixel sensor and optical image stabilization.
Adobe’s companion DNG Converter application converts raw digital files from those supported cameras to Adobe’s DNG format, a universal file format created by Adobe to address the lack of an open standard in the raw camera file space.
Adobe notes that the Camera Raw 4.0 plug-in is not compatible with versions of Photoshop prior to the new CS3 release, or Photoshop Elements prior to 4.01. Older versions remain available.